As usually in Memphis, its all about trying to get Khris Middleton to shoot a lot
Here is an overview of Memphis roster as we are preparing for the 2026 campaign:
The Starters
PG Tyler Ulis - resigned to a long term deal, Ulis will be handling the starting PG duties. He showed during the pre-season that he is one of the leading candidates to lead the league in assists by dishing out about 14 a game, if he could also give us close to double-figures scoring with more or less acceptable efficiency, we're quite happy.
SG Zach LaVine - Zach will once again attempt to lead the league in three-pointers attempted and, hopefully, can hit them at 40% or better clip. Will probably average close o 20 ppg mostly on threes.
SF Khris Middleton - our key challenge as usually is to get the ball to Middleton. Health permitting, he can lead us in scoring despite putting up less shots than LaVine. He continues to be one of the best all-around shooters in the game (46% on ~4 threes made last year) and is likely to lead us in minutes per game. Last season, he had the best +/- on the team so expect him to play a lot.
PF Julius Randle - averaged 17/13 during the pre-season, Randle showed he is still a threat. Sadly, it is highly unlikely he will be playing as many minutes as we need to make sure he will stay healthy. However, when on the floor expect him to go after every rebound and finish strong at the rim.
C Bruno Fernando - 6th overall pick showed his value by averaging a double/double in pre-season with almost 3 blocks a game - even with Randle starting next to him. He is a ready now big man and will be our anchor defensively.
Bench press mob
LJ Peak - LJ averaged close to 24 ppg during the first few sims of the pre-season and stuffed the statsheet with assists, rebounds, steals and blocks. One of the top all-around players he still needs a few instructions to maximise his impact. But we see him as a two way guard who is perhaps better suited to play with Middleton than LaVine.
Naz Reid - big bully Reid showed that he is a CSL ready big man. We were impressed by his performance at both PF/C during the pre-season. So much so that he is likely to come in as first and key big off the bench for us. He plays efficient and aggressive offense and is a better rebounder/defender than advertised. Lets see how he handles the Grind of everyday CSL competition.
Bogdan Bogdanovic - at 33, Bogdan is still an efficient and aggressive scorer. His ability to get to the line is a key strength and he can will backup Middleton at SF position.
Jevon Carter - young PG had a somewhat disappointing pre-season as he could not buy a baskey but will start the season as our primary backup PG. He needs a lot of instructions to turn him into a more reliable floor general and will not be getting a lot of minutes early on.
Tim Kempton - after a major drama during the Free Agency Kempton came back on a relatively cheap deal. He is one of the best rebounders in the league and will be attacking the glass hard for us this season. We are happy to have him back.
Vince Hunter - second stint with the Grizzlies for the undersized Hunter who brings a lot of defense and aggressive rebounding. He will be fighting with Reid and Kempton for backup big man minutes.
Luka Samanic - talented Luka is two years away from being a CSL player. He will be getting few minutes here and there and some garbage time mostly for the purposes of his continued development.
Injured Reserve
Shelvin Mack - veteran PG had a strong pre-season and showed an ability to setup our offense and hit threes. He is a candidate to be promoted to full-time squad if Carter can't get his act together or we have an injury on the perimeter.
Cody Zeller/Bismack Biyombo - both veterans are currently on Memphis Trade Block as expiring contracts. They will be called upon if some of our big men rotation does not work out. CSL season is long and injuries will happen, we are happy to have these guys available in case of need.
